Schizophrenia Daily News Blog

Suicide Leading Cause of Death in Schizophrenia

In a report coming out of "Schizophrenia Ireland", the statistics of the population with schizophrenia who take their own lives is being brought into the forefront. Apparently, about 60 percent of people with schizophrenia attempt to commit suicide, and about 10 percent of them actually die by suicide. Schizophrenia Ireland wants to highlight this "at-risk" community so that others are more likely to get out and receive the help that they need when they are feeling hopeless.

"The document includes an outline by Anne Callanan of the historical context of suicide prevention in Ireland, a paper on suicide and schizophrenia by Dr Jeanne-Marie Nagle of St James's Hospital and a personal account of someone with schizophrenia who tried to take his own life. There is an essay by Schizophrenia Ireland entitled Getting the Balance Right: Suicide Prevention for People with Self-Experience of Schizophrenia and also a guide of how to deal with suicidal thoughts and depression. "The most important action is to be open and confide in other people you trust or talk to a trusted health professional," says the document" (Fitzgerald, 2005).

Schizophrenia Ireland hopes to dispel the myth that suicide in groups with mental disorders, like schizophrenia, is inevitable and that nothing can be done to prevent it. They want to also focus on the fact that the future "has never been brighter" for those with schizophrenia due to where we are in the field and the research that has been done to fight the disorder. Tim, a man suffering from schizophrenia who once made an attempt on his life, gives a source of hope to those suffering from schizophrenia. At the time when he tried to take an overdose he was full of "self-loathing" and feelings of isolation. But he now states that his feelings of hopelessness passed and that he now is very grateful that he was unsuccessful in his attempt at suicide.

Those suffering from depression or suicidal thoughts should take into account the numerous suicide prevention groups that are out there solely to help them. For those living in Ireland, two of those groups are the Irish Association of Suicidology and the National Suicide Research Foundation.

The source of this article was The Irish Times, written there by James Fitzgerald.

If you are feeling suicidal or depressed you should talk to a medical professional who can help you. Also take time to read this article called "If you are thinking about suicide...Read this first."